Hutton House

Female pupils in Years 9 to 13 live in Hutton House, a comfortable and relaxed girls’ boarding house. Hutton is run by a caring husband and wife team, supported by a warm and experienced assistant boarding mistress and two young and enthusiastic resident boarding assistants. Together they provide a high level of quality boarding in a supportive environment. The well-being of every one of the boarders is paramount and ensuring that every pupil is happy, settled, relaxed and confident is the aim of all the staff in the House.

Pastoral care is of an extremely high standard and the affectionate relationship between the boarders and the House staff is evident. There is a lot of interaction between year groups with the younger and older girls often forming lasting friendships. The House Parents pride themselves on being excellent communicators – emailing or telephoning on a regular basis, when there is good news or for quick updates. There is no doubt that this approach is really appreciated by parents and trust between all parties is evident. The resident members of the boarding team are always available for the pupils to talk to, to give advice or to help with homework when required.

Contributions and suggestions made by the boarders are always considered and are highly valued. Most of the boarders in Hutton are full time. However we aim to be as flexible as possible for parents and so also offer weekly, termly and even occasional boarding for day pupils whenever possible. Girls are often invited home to the houses of day girls and we are very flexible in enabling the boarders to see their day friends or family visitors.

Facilities

Hutton House is an extremely comfortable and relaxed house with two wings and is designed to be very much a home from home. The communal area on the ground floor has a large lounge with TVs and DVD players, Wii, an electric piano, board games and comfortable sofas. There is also a Year 11 lounge with TV and DVD. An upright piano in the central corridor provides an opportunity for all girls to sit and play whenever they like – and they do! In addition the Sixth Form have their own common room with TV, a DVD player, Wii and comfortable sofas, a quiet TV lounge, a kitchen with individual food lockers and a study room.

There are prep rooms, all with individual workstations and secure storage, where prep takes place in the evenings for Years 9-11. This is supervised by the House staff and prefects. Sixth Formers have study bedrooms with a desk and are encouraged to work independently. There is wireless access all over the House and a range of PCs linked to the Internet and the school network, although most older pupils bring their own laptops. Telephones are also available in the Houses for the pupils to use although almost all now have their own mobile phones.

There is a kitchen for drinks and snacks in the evenings, which the boarders use at the weekend for supervised cooking and to cook dinner parties for their friends. There is also a laundry room with wet room.

On the first floor there are girls’ dormitories, bathrooms and toilets. Younger girls sleep in shared dormitories of between three and six pupils. Lower Sixth Formers generally share a study bedroom with a friend and have their own study bedroom in the Upper Sixth.

There is also a tuck shop with a range of drinks, chocolate, sweets and savoury items open two or three times a week. There are two computer areas in the house. The serviced laundry is open to Sixth Form for private use if they wish to launder their own clothes.

Activities

Queen's College offers fun, safe and active boarding school houses in Somerset. Here's a selection of some of the activities students could get involved with.

SportThere are sporting activities such clubs and practices for the curriculum sports (hockey, netball, athletics and tennis) as well as clubs for cross country, athletics, swimming, badminton, basketball and rounders.

The large and spacious Sports Hall is extensively used for gymnastics, dance, basketball, badminton, volleyball, indoor hockey and indoor tennis. There is also a squash court adjoining the Sports Hall and an extremely well equipped fitness room where students are provided with individual training programmes, classes and specific fitness techniques.

Within the sports complex is an indoor heated pool which is used at various times both for team and recreational swimming. Team swimming,canoe polo, diving and lifesaving clubs are regular activities throughout the year.

Performing ArtsEvery Saturday morning there are Performing Arts rehearsals which contribute to a large scale production every term. Anyone interested in Drama, Dance or Music is welcome either on stage or behind the scenes in set design, costumes and make-up. In addition, our popular ‘Crew Club' for those keen on the technical aspects of theatre such as programming lighting boards or creating recorded ‘soundscapes' is extremely well attended. The Dance Academy offers classes in Street Dance, Hip Hop, Ballet, Modern, Tap and Contemporary dance appealing to both girls and boys from a variety of age groups.

MusicWith such a strong musical tradition at school, individual musicians receive lessons on instruments of their choice and are able to take part in the many musical groups, clubs and activities on offer. Five choirs, three orchestras, wind band, swing band, sax sound school, brass ensemble and a variety of string groups all operate on a weekly basis and our musicians also take part in external music groups and festivals.

Outdoor PursuitsAfter school and at weekends, Queen’s College offers canoeing, diving, mountain biking, climbing, sailing and caving which give all our boarders the chance not only to improve their skills or try something new, but also the opportunity to explore some of the beautiful countryside in the South West. In addition, the Deputy Head Pastoral, who runs her own trekking and riding centre, takes groups of boarders riding on a bi-weekly basis and the School’s equestrian team competes in riding events representing the School. Most pupils in Years 10 and above also participate in The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme which comprises volunteering, expedition, skills and physical recreation. Walking, kayaking, mountain biking and camping expeditions are organised as well as opportunities to undertake community service.

Model United NationsRun by the Sixth Formers at Queen’s, Model United Nations is an extremely well supported society with members from Year 9 through to Year 13. Simulating actual United Nations situations, students attend conferences at other schools throughout the South West, acting as delegates representing a specific nation or person through committees.

Weekends

Weekends are a mixture of structure and free time. Saturday mornings have organised activities, such as, cookery, art and drama, outdoor pursuits and recreational sports such as swimming to choose from. On Saturday afternoons, many pupils are involved in competitive sports fixtures whilst others have free time to walk into town, watch a film or catch up on prep. On Saturday evenings we generally have film night or trips to the cinema and bowling alleys, or organise in-house activities such as quizzes or BBQs.

Particular highlights are the House and Formal Dinners when the girls can miss their prep time in order to spend time getting themselves ready! Christmas is also a special time with the House Entertainment Show and the Secret Santa ceremony.

We run a number of boarding outings on Sundays including visiting cities such as Bristol and Bath, paintballing watching international sporting events, shopping trips to Street’s Clarks Village Outlet and Cribbs Causeway or visits to the theatre. We also organise excursions to theme parks.

Head of House and Prefects

All girls in the House have a say in the election of the Head of House, Deputy Head of House, and Head of Sport for the following year. The girls filling these posts come from Year 13 and it is expected that girls show them the same respect that is shown to a member of staff. All Year 12 girls act as House Prefects and oversee prep and bedtimes with a member of staff on duty on a rota basis. The girls in the House, under the supervision of the prefects, have responsibilities for making sure that the house is kept in a tidy and orderly manner. Prefects are encouraged to be a part of the decision making process with regards to sanctions and rewards. This includes awarding a free trip to the tuck shop for keeping the tidiest dorm, being the kindest person of the week, or representing the House successfully in an Inter-House activity.